Right now, hundreds people are gathered outside the Supreme Court because they believe no woman should have to choose between her job and the health of her pregnancy.
I’m at the Supreme Court today too, but this morning I’ll be inside the building, listening to oral arguments in Young v. UPS. The question the Court is taking on is whether UPS violated the Pregnancy Discrimination Act when it refused to let pregnant delivery driver Peggy Young follow her health care provider’s orders to avoid heavy lifting — even though UPS gave a break to other workers who had similar limitations, but who weren’t pregnant.
When Peggy Young found out she was pregnant, her midwife recommended she avoid lifting more than 20 pounds. But UPS refused her request for “light duty” — even though the company provided accommodations to people with disabilities or on-the-job injuries, and even though it gave breaks to delivery drivers who had lost their drivers’ licenses as a result of DUI convictions.
Peggy was pushed onto unpaid leave for the duration of her pregnancy, and lost her employer-provided health care.
The Supreme Court’s decision in Young v. UPS will impact working women across the country. And because many families rely on mothers’ earnings, when pregnant women are forced off the job and lose their paychecks and health care, their families suffer as well.
Thank you for all you do for women and their families.
Sincerely,
Emily J. Martin
Vice President and General Counsel
National Women’s Law Center


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